A mysterious note! wrote:

The teen continued to do his air squats atop the cliff overlooking Konoha. He had been training since the same morning. His workout routine was intense as always. He woke up at 3am, went for a morning jog whilst air boxing at any dogs that crossed his path, ate some ramen around 5am, and then went back to bed. Then, at 7am, he'd get up again, run around the village as fast as he could, jump across some buildings, eat some more ramen, and then go back to bed at 9am. Then, he'd get up and come here to train the whole day, getting to have a fantastic view of Konohagakure on a crystal clear day. He could train with weapons, practice and hone jutsu, and try to grow more used to channeling his chakra through weapons larger than a kunai. Indeed, this little routine was his life, it was his sacred creed, such was his dedication to trying to do his best in the Chunin Exams!

Yoshi stood up after doing a series of squat-based exercises, air pumping through his lungs and his body buzzing with the energy of unbridled youth. He was feeling more and more prepared with each day, he could slowly feel himself getting stronger, and, sure enough, he could feel his loneliness increasing the more he slowly drove himself ragged like this. It was no secret that the Genin was somewhat of a recluse, hiding away in his room until the wee hours of the morning studying scrolls to learn more about the art of ninjutsu. His sleep cycle wasn't exactly the most stable in the world, especially now with his workout regiment being thrown in on top. He was feeling alone, and with nobody who he could talk to or be anxious with now that the exams were right around the corner.

He had thought about his recent activities: meeting with Takao, fighting off a horde of cliche bully gangs, and even building a house. Sure he felt as though he had grown thanks to them all, but nothing could escape him from the fact that, now with the prospect of failing miserably in front of the ninja world, he was very much afraid. This was gonna be his first big shot to be well known to shinobi all over! He needed someone to face the challenges with him. He needed a training partner.

Recalling his recent mission, he could think of nobody else he'd want to work with than his one-time partner, Ting. Thus, he had scribbled together a brilliantly drawn and designed calling card that surely the girl would be so curious by that she would come to the designated location on the cliff. Yoshi needed a partner, and what's more, he needed a friend to help push him like he could push others. He sure as heck didn't know Ting that well, but in the grand scheme of people he knew less of, she was fairly high on his list! Thus, when he hear footsteps approaching, the boy would whirl around, "I wanna be your friend!" he shouted. Perhaps that was a little too direct, he wasn't good at this sort of thing despite what he told himself. "I mean, I, uhh, I wanna be your partner. For training and for missions" he stated, standing somewhat sheepishly as he waited for the blue haired lady to respond.

575/575

There was an interesting component to the dreams had by Ting on most nights, especially now that she was staying in the Kimura quarters. The living arrangement so graciously bestowed upon her by Takao would be something he would never need to regret. After only a week she had already started paying the rent on her own, using the money from low ranking missions. The petite girl would store only slightly, the kids of her eyes snapped shut like a pair blinds over the windows into her soul.

Yuna.

The pink haired beauty who had stunned Ting all those years before would often meet with her in her dreams. It was an oddity, reinforced in weirdness only by the fact that the updated visage of Yuna was one of a rough and tumble vagabond, nothing like the studious nerd from the academy. Ting had not seen Yuna in years and so it was a complete mystery as to how her brain had painted such an absurd image of her.

click

Ting would give a long and exhausted yawn as she turned over on her side to gaze into the powerful moving hands of time. For whatever reason her window was opened, curtains blustering all about until the moment she pushed the window shut. The blue haired woman didn’t spend much time at all pondering the reasons her window might have been opened. It just was not the sort of day to worry about small details, but from within her closet an eye would blink, awaiting her to leave the room. As the moments passed and Ting prepares herself for another day, she’d find a rather silly looking letter left in her mailbox. It seemed to illustrate that she should meet them at the Hokage monument. Who was she to decline?

Preparing herself in the appropriate clothing for whatever may come, Ting dawned her genin attire over a black bodysuit which stopped at her neck. It was form fitting and perhaps quite something to see for those who appreciated a female body. For her it was merely the most comfortable option for combat and allowed for the most freedom of motion. The green and black looked good together, really reinforcing the Konoha vibes surrounding Ting. This village was, afterall, a place of her rebirth. As she pushed through her apartment’s front door, fastening her headband tightly around her forehead and greeting the morning at full throttle.

There was a growing urgency to train, particularly with the chunin exams arriving with such haste. There was no doubt this experience would bring at least something in terms of adventure or interest. Ting would make leaps and bounds over the buildings and market stalls across the Leaf Village, making her way to the monument quickly. When she finally arrived she’d stop just above the head of Lady Tsunade and chuckle at the awkwardness of her former mission partner, Yoshihiro. He began speaking before she had even made herself known.

“Why not both?” Ting would say with a smile of delight upon her face. It was genuine, she thought warmly of Yoshihiro and saw no issues whatsoever with beginning a friendship with him. “Do you think if we choose to train right here that the Hokage we stand atop would quietly judge us?

It was no mystery just how powerful the shinobi those stone faces memorialized had been. Each and every one of them a key player in the formation and maintenance of the wonderful Hidden Leaf Village and the Will of Fire.

“Which is your favorite, Yoshihiro?”

---

597

Yoshi felt the pins and needles he was standing on slowly receded into the earth. He could feel an anxious weight that was being taken off his shoulders, it felt good. He grinned at his former partner as she stood atop the carved head of Lady Tsunade. "I was hoping you would say that" the boy nodded back to her at the idea of being both for one another. By all accounts, he certainly knew very little of the older teen, just as she knew very little of him save the tidbits of information they shared during their past mission escorting Jinzo. Now, she seemed even more prepared somehow. That was the thing that always sort of impressed the boy, no matter the situation, it felt like Ting was someone who was really ready for any kind of situation and always knew how to come up with a plan. He respected her greatly, and now was slowly trying to learn more of her as an erstwhile friend.

The question about the Hokage of centuries past watching them was probably one Yoshi should have seen coming. Still, it was one that he found himself fumbling to try and come up with an answer with. He paused for a moment, visibly thinking it over. He had read plenty of books on history and the myths of Konohagakure, but he had never picked out a Hokage that he'd call his favorite- maybe he was just indecisive. "I think there's something to be learned from all of them really. Different lessons, different flaws, but an unbreakable devotion to our home" he explained, leaping forwards to set himself down on the carved head of Minato Namikaze. He looked down at the stone face in thought. "If I had to choose one though... I think it would be Lord Fourth. He was so young but did so much as if he was constantly running out of time. I don't know, I guess I just feel the same way sometimes, I'm always going fast and feel like there's nothing in life but what's straight ahead of me" he said, meandering a bit before looking up to Ting who was the next head over from her.

"I don't think they'd judge us though, I think they'd be proud!" he affirmed, his determination in his voice. Yoshi looked out over the village, it seemed smaller from up here, somehow it made him appreciate it more. "I'm scared, to tell you the truth. The Chunin exams are almost here, and I'm terrified it" he stated, looking back to the blue-haired girl. He raised his arm up to point at her, as if he were giving her an invisible fist-bump from the head of one hokage to another. "So let's make a deal! If one of us is knocked out of the tournament, the other HAS to make it to the finals and win it. No matter what happens, we'll cheer each other on" the boy proposed, waiting to see if Ting accepted the idea, as Yoshi very much yearned to find some form of release from the anxiety of having to face the horde of fellow Genin as a one-man team. "I'll be brave if you are too" he added, lowering his arm regardless of if the woman would agree to their childhood pact or not.

Yoshi pulled out a bell, holding it loosely in his hand before tying it to his belt on his right hip. It jingled gently, hanging on the 5 inch long piece of string. "Now, I know that you're specialty is close quarters combat, that's good, but also bad. It's good in that you'll knock out an enemy in a few good hits- yet, when facing a ninjutsu or chakra flow specialist, getting close will be the hardest part of the challenge. So begins the spar" the teen stated, hands on his hips as he looked up to the blue haired woman as she listened in on him. "In the next five minutes, you're going to do everything in your power to grab this bell from my waist, and I'll be doing everything in my power to prevent you from doing that. If by the time five minutes has passed you haven't gotten it, I'll have one the challenge" he instructed, waiting to make sure that the girl had listened. People like Yoshi who did best at a close to medium range could be awfully slippery, especially with them standing on the heads of the Hokage currently.

"When you're ready, come at me" the boy commanded, taking an athletic position, balacing his weight more on the balls of his feet.

801/1376

5 minutes = 5 posts

Because Yoshi has been training his legs and running all day, his speed and endurance are reduced by 2 ranks, to help make this more fair.

If Ting grabs the bell from Yoshi then she will win the spar, if not, then he will have won.

Yoshihiro was a treat to speak to, and seemed to overall just be a genuine young man looking to make good of himself in a world full of all types of negativity. Ting could not help but smile most of the time throughout their conversation. She had of course initiated this chatter with an idea already in mind as to which of the passed Hokage were her favorite. It was likely not going to be a surprise for Yoshi, as Ting had immediately gravitated toward the place upon this overlook that looked out over her choice. Ting saw an incredible amount of her own ways in Lady Tsunade. A medical shinobi with unmatched strength and healing prowess. She was truly worthy of recognition. Of course, Ting would have to snap herself out of pondering for too long and reveal her choice and reasons for it to the friendly boy.

“Lady Tsunade has always been someone we looked up to in the study of medical Ninjutsu . She was truly revolutionary in the things she achieved with it, and not to mention her immeasurable strength. Being the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju clearly had it’s perks. Ting would chuckle and then think for a few more moments, looking out over the village. She had more to say about Lady Tsunade. “Whats more, Lady Tsunade was not perfect. She was well known for her gambling addiction and by no means did she try and parade herself as infallible. I think that makes her even more relatable.” She would quietly hope she hadn’t seemed strange in her passionate musings about one of her biggest idols. She didn’t want Yoshi to think she did not value his answer as well. Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, was beyond legendary, and Ting admired him just as well.

She would listen to him as he spoke of the legendary leaders of the Hidden Leaf feeling proud of the new generation. It was certainly motivating to hear that someone thought that way. So often elders chose to insult and belittle the new aged ways of doing things. It was a genuine wonder whether the former Hokage felt that way or not. With a small shrug of her shoulders and a tuck of her hair back behind her ear on the left side, she would look up into Yoshi’s eyes and nod, agreeing with him in regard to the fear of the looming chunin exams.

“I’m not sure if any person in their right mind would be anything but nervous about these exams. Demonstrating our skills in front of such a massive audience with such high stakes...it is terrifying if you ponder on it too hard.” Ting would Troy over to the young man and bump knuckles with him, holding her fist against hers as she gave him a closed-eyes smile. “One of us better show them what Konoha is made of. And that means taking home first place.”

After this exchange, Ting would lower her fist back to her side as she observed Yoshihiro pulling out a smal bell. As she listened intently to what he had to say, she nodded in affirmation, realizing something a little less direct than a full on spar might be more interesting and fun. A timed trial to retrieve that bell was much like the timed nature of trying to finish off an opponent quickly in the exams. How would she do when brute force alone may not have been enough? It was a weakness she’d need to overcome.

“I accept your bell challenge Kakashi...I mean, silly me, Yoshihiro.” Ting would giggle as she cracked the knuckles on each of her hands and prepared herself. She backed up a few steps, bringing around five meters between the two and took a few deep breaths before launching into action, signaling the start of the bout. She would activate her Elasticity technique as a precaution before initiating her second maneuver. In a matter of an instant, muscle fiber would wind itself around Ting’s legs - coating them fully and granting her the speed necessary to traverse the distance between herself and Yoshihiro in only around half a second. She would reach for the bell with her left hand, without any further enhancement, hoping to seize it from the boy by surprise and shock alone.

---

727 | 1324

Chakra - 230/250:

It felt good to be doing a more non-intensive sparring match like this. They were both so close to the Chunin Exams, if one of them got hurt badly right before they started it'd be an absolute disaster. Ting was one of the people that Yoshi felt as though he could trust to know how to pull her punches when the time for a more soft-power exercise like this came up. It was a win-win for them both. Ting would have to learn how to stick like glue to him to be able to crush him with her womanly strength, whilst Yoshi would need to make like a banana and get the heck away from her. He had resolved not to use any offensive attacks against his new training partner. This was a challenge of footwork and positioning, not beating each other senseless.

Yoshi was already on the balls of his feet and ready for the other teen to come at him. He may have been tired from his day of training hard, but her certainly was far from out of the fight. For one, he could very acutely see the girl's body language as she took her deep breaths and suddenly imbued the muscles in her legs to launch her over the 5 meter distance between the two of them. This wasn't the boy's first proverbial rodeo however, and he was ready for her, already in an athletic stance and already knowing that she was going to come at him hard and fast.

As he saw Ting imbue her legs with muscle, Yoshi would make a small swiping motion in front of him with his right leg. It was tiny, almost casual in the way that it was done, but the speed at which it was accomplished was all that mattered to him. Suddenly, a gust of sideways wind would materialize from Ting's left side, throttling her at knee level. He knew the girl was all about speed to get close to an enemy, something that played into his fighting style rather nicely. This sideways gust of wind would sweep the girl's feet out from under her, as she had already committed herself to an all out lunge for the bell on his right hip, her momentum from her dash carrying her forwards with seeming abandon.

The knee-level gust would come sideways from Ting's left side, causing her legs to be swept out from under her so that she would fall down onto the rocky head of Minato Namikaze, landing on her left shoulder and side of her body as she would continue to skid past the black-haired Genin, unable to recover and stop properly. Yoshi for his part, knowing that the girl's momentum and tumble would require her to get up and reorient herself, lept sideways to his left, the bell jingling from his hip as it disappeared from her arm's range.

Whilst Ting would quickly get up. Yoshi would land from his jump standing at a horizontal angle on the rocky cliff face of Hokage Rock, arms at his sides as he looked down at the blue haired girl. He still held a ready position, roughly 5 meters up on the wall away from where she was, watching her intently for her next move whilst backing up another 5 meters up the cliff face. She was fast, she was strong, but both of those things made her predictable. Now though, how would she respond to fighting on a different axis of movement instead of a normal horizontal one?

586/1962

235/250:

[1/5]

The rush and adventure of a challenge like this one during a brisk fall day was exceptional. Two genin doing intensive training on top of esteemed monuments may not have been the most lawful thing they could have been doing. Only a bunch of idiots would have actually done anything to damage the rock formations though. These two were no idiots. Ting felt a sort of invigoration as she pushed off to move forward, but quickly learned that Yoshihiro was no pushover. He had observed her movements carefully and came prepared to deal with them. She felt her legs sweep out from underneath of her and she tumbled roughly down onto the head of Minato Namikaze, gathering just a few scratches and scrapes along the way. As she sat down upon the Yellow Flash’s dome she looked up at the position of her opponent and smiled, laughing genuinely for a few seconds.

“It may not have looked like it, but that was actually sort of fun in a weird way.” She would call up to him in his new horizontal standing positioning on the cliff side. Ting would bring herself to her feet, the muscle still wrapped around them both. A quick activation of Supernatural Waking Practice would perhaps help against another maneuver of that sort, plus she would need it to suspend herself from the side of the cliff the way Yoshihiro was.

Again, at a speed of ten meters per second, Ting would traverse the distance between the two in around half a second, this time she aimed to grapple with her target, using the full force of the motion to tackle into his side and hopefully wrap her arms around him, bracing them so that they were constricted against his body. Of course, if this maneuver failed she would likely find herself standing on the cliff side with her supernatural walking practice empty handed. If she did reach her target with the tackle and grapple combo, she would begin the new stategy she wanted to employ. If she could raise him from the ground with a sudden force of strength she would attempt to pull him from the ground he clung to with the supernatural walking practice and then free one of her hands to attempt to seize the bell.

It was a bit of a mad flurry, Ting didn’t quite know how to take this challenge on when so much of her focus was on high strength, violent maneuvers. It was pricing very difficult to get the bell away from him using only her speed enhancer.

---

432 | 1756

Chakra - 215/250:

There was a brief respite between the two as Ting sat up from her fumble and looked up to the now horizontal boy. Her words surprised Yoshi a tad, he had thought her to be more angry or frustrated than anything else. He knew he certainly had when he had played this 'game' by chasing a squirrel through the forests of Konohagakure to capture its acorn. Ting was strong, certainly stronger than him in a melee capacity, he had seen her work firsthand during their previous mission together. Still, he gave her a small smile in return, even though the noontime sun caused her to see a silhouette of him as she looked directly up.

"You remind me of her, of Tsunade. I read about her a lot and the other Hokage in books growing up" he stated with a small nod, complimenting the girl who he now knew looked up to the woman as an idol of sorts. "Your smile is better than hers though" he added, meeting her genuine grin with one of his own. This ceasefire was promptly ended though as the blue-haired girl walked over to the cliff face and stepped up onto the craggy rock roughly 10 or so meters down from where Yoshi was standing above him. He knew what would come next.

There was one primary reason the boy had chosen to go high instead of laterally to another Hokage head: the sun. With it being high noon, it was directly above them both. The bright rays of daylight would bear down upon Ting as she would look up at Yoshi who was standing as the sole object between her and a direct line of sight to that entity. She would have a difficult time keeping focus on him with how bright it would be as she stared straight up at the taller teen. Still, she would come regardless, as Yoshihiro was now beginning to anticipate.

She would expect him to run along the cliff face, to use some jutsu to push her away, to do any number of things. Instead, in that small sliver of time between the fellow Genin attempting to grapple him, Yoshi would do none of these things. Instead, the boy would use the ready arch in his legs to press off of the cliff face, diving into the open air, free falling from the rocks and leaping into what would have looked like certain death.

That was the thing that always appealed to him though about wind manipulation, it was always a breath away between genius and insanity.

As the teen would fly through the air, propelling himself away from the cliff face where Ting was attempting to grapple him, he would wait as he fell down down down beyond the rocky face of Minato Namikaze, arcing in front of the Jonin's eternal gaze. Just as it seemed the teen would simply fall to his death, Yoshi suddenly willed a gust of air to shoot upwards from under him, reducing the rate of his descent momentarily by about 10 m/s, as well as using its knock back to stagger his descent. With this cushion of air, falling at a slow rate as he reached the stone chin of the fourth Hokage, the boy would step down on what would seem like a momentary invisible platform. The stress on his knee was great, it was a heavy load to put on one foot. Thankfully, Yoshi was able to press up from this invisible platform of wind to his left foot. Two steps.

The Genin used his third step to leap up towards the stone chin of Minato, planting his feet firmly on the stone with his Chakra Walking still active.

Given the great distance he had lept, from 10 meters above Minato's head, arcing perhaps double that, and disappearing out of Ting's view from where she was standing, he waited to see if she would cry out in believing he had lept to his doom. Standing horizontally again, the boy slowly backpedaled, transitioning from standing at a horizontal angle so that he would then be standing directly upside down on the underside of Minato's head. As he waited, remaining alert and keeping his head on a swivel, he listened in on any voices or sounds above to see what the girl had planned next.

720/2682

210/250:

[2/5]

Once again, her efforts were thwarted by the craft young man who so flattered her with a comparison to Lady Tsunade. Ting would find herself missing her maneuver once again, her opponent kicking off of the rock face like a mad man, momentarily blinding her as she was positioned below him, staring now into the sun directly for an instant. She averted her eyes only just quickly enough to recover and watch as Yoshihiro seemed to disappear over her line of sight. Ting had never seen someone as agile and crafty as Yoshi had been, but even with that in mind, the sight of his daredevil act was shocking enough to illicit a true cry of fear.

“Yoshihiro!” She would cry out in a moment of panic as she believed he had actually fell off from the deadly heights of Hokage Rock. Ting would remain out of his line of sight for a moment, realizing she had not heard any follow up sounds, she would decide in this moment to get crafty. She was running out of time, and she needed that bell. It would do well for her confidence to win this little bout. She quickly set to utilizing the doppelgänger technique, creating just one clone of herself and sending it over the cliff side, as if falling to its death in order to save her friend whom was presumed to be falling as well. The real Ting would be waiting, crouched low so that Yoshi would not be able to glimpse her from wherever it was she assumed he had caught himself from falling. She was waiting for a move. As it fell, the clone would cry out in terror, using the exact same voice as Ting. It was a relatively decent little acting job by a usually terrible clone technique.

The clone was far enough from the rock base that its lack of shadow wouldn’t be as easy to determine, particularly with the sun being directly above and the ground below being so far down. As the trap was laid out, Ting would watch her doppelgänger fall awaiting a response from Yoshihiro. The moment he went for it, Ting would recklessly bound for him, aiming to meet him in the air. And activate her Agezuki technique. Instead of uppercutting the man before her in this scenario, she would use the 15 m/s movement of her arm to snatch the bell from him with reckless abandon.

If this worked out, Ting would have the bell in her hand but would have no means of returning herself to the safety of the rock faces. It was one of the poorest decisions she had ever made for a simple win. Should Yoshihiro decide not to attempt to save the falling clone of Ting for whatever reason, she would instead use her burst movement to descend onto Tsunade’s face and look around for the dark haired stunt man. Her time nearly expended, Ting would have almost no options left to her name.

---

506 | 2262

Chakra - 185/250:

Yoshi stood on the underside of Minato Namikaze's rocky head. He had heard the shout of fear that Ting had given him, it made him feel just a tad bad for seemingly leaping to his own death. The boy stayed as quiet as a mouth though, eagerly waiting and piecing together what might've been taking place above him. There was a moment of silence before a blue streak zipped past the boy through suspended air, it was Ting! Shocked at the way she just appeared out of nowhere from above him only to be plummeting to her grave, Yoshi was stunned into silence for a moment as he recoiled and tried to think of something to do. Ting couldn't survive a fall like tha-

Wait... Ting couldn't survive a fall like that.

Just as the boy was opening his mouth to shout something, that realization hit him. So far as he knew, there was no way her mobility currently compared to his, even with her bursts of speed. For her to leap from her perch after pissing that tackle of hers, to leap after seeing him disappear beyond her line of sight, it didn't add up in his head. He knew that the girl was smarter than doing something so reckless, he knew that she was just as clever as he could be. Yoshi squinted as the gears continued to turn. She hadn't thrown herself off Hokage Rock, there'd have been no way for her to save him or vise versa even if they caught each other in mid air, they'd both be goners. This was a fake, a doppleganger. It was the same kind of tactic he'd use, which is exactly why he was rapidly seeing through it now.

She wanted to play a game of trickery with a boy who was proving to be ever so much a trickster? Alright then, he'd indulge her! Yoshi, still standing upside down on the undersite of Minato's head, brought his hands up and together. With a sudden poof, four dopplegangers of the teen appeared around him, also standing on the bottom of the rock face as well. For now, he'd wait to see what the girl would do next, standing up as the rest of his illusionary clones stood to his right, putting him on the end closest to the rock wall.

He heard the sound of feet treading on stone nearby, it was from where he knew Lady Tsunade's carved out head to be. Yoshi kept silent, waiting for Ting to move on to another head to scout from or to discover him and his newfound friends standing in the vertical shadow beneath the rocky head, blending the illusionary clones together with the real Yoshi by obscuring them all in the vertical shadow of the midday sun.

Yoshi waited, paying attention to the sounds above him as he kept his head and his clones heads on a swivel. What was that girl up to now?

508/3190

190/250:

[3/5]

So many times throughout her life had Ting fought battles she could not seem to overcome for one reason or another. Often times it was simply a lack of will, but there were also the instances in which she tried her damnedest and it seemed fate would not have had her be victor for any reason. As she watched her attempt at trickery poof in the air as it reached the end of it’s rope, she was beginning to lose hope of having any chance at that bell. This bout between Ting and Yoshihiro has exposed a glaring weakness in the young medics bread and butter strategy. After all of this concluded she was going to need to rethink things and develop more potent techniques for closing gaps on slippery opponents such as this. It was hardly useful to be able to break someone down when you have no means of keeping them close in the first place.

Ting would take a different route, dropping down from beneath the head of Lady Tsunade so that she was entirely inverted. As she looked across the way from her position, she would notice an assortment of Yoshihiro’s all standing in tow. A strange thing to witness but after having just tossed a clone off of a high ledge, she could only have assumed he would have taken a page from that same book and used the technique or something similar himself. The supernatural walking practice would allow Ting to attempt a quiet and sneaky approach, keeping the line of site between herself and Yoshi broken while she moved low. The undersides of the rock faces could have used some cleaning, being constantly shaded and getting slightly damp when it happened to rain. This allowed an unsightly moss to grow in the darkest of the crevices, only able to be seen from such a close angle fortunately. It could have made a great time waster to assign to the academy students, cleaning the filth.

Ting would remove her sandals leave them on top of Lady Tsunade’s head to reduce the sound of her feet as she rushed beneath the face which bore her target. As she quickly and quietly rounded the corner, she would be planted directly behind Yoshihiro and his row of clones. It was his without a doubt, this was going to be her last chance. She rushed forward using her burst speed to close the very insignificant three or so meters between herself and Yoshihiro, feeling a bit of guilt as she pushed through the insubstantial illusions and sought to wrap her arm around Yoshihiro’s neck while grabbing at the bell with her free hand.

---

449 | 2711

Chakra - 175/250:

Yoshihiro watched the face of lady Tsunade, having noted Ting as landing there from her perch. The boy kept his body on the edge, ready to move as he and his identical dopplegangers stood in a straight line. He watched as a blue figure appeared on the underside of Tsunade's face, her form entirely inverted just as his was now. He saw her, and she saw him. He blinked, him and his clones all waving in unison before giving her a thumbs up, they were both safe thankfully. At seeing Yoshi and his pals chilling underneath the rock face though, Ting suddenly disappeared from the boy's view causing him to get ready for what was likely going to be the girl's last chance at getting the bell from his right hip... which was now hanging down against his torso due to standing upside down.

The boy and his clones listened closesly. Nothing, the girls approach was masterful, a testament to her dedication to be willing to get down and dirty. Still, the slowness of her stealthy approach gave the boy a moment of silence that was beginning to make him wary. He knew she had seen him, but he had now lost sight of her. He was expecting something, but from here, he couldn't say. Just as that revelation hit the boy though, the sudden sound of 'Poof Poof Poof Poof' could be heard behind him, his dopplegangers dissipating in a puff of smoke. The final attack was on!

It was too late for him to turn around and face her, he was between her and the rock face. Instinctively, his right hand zipped down with an uncanny and supernatural speed, empowered by the Futon in his hand. He made a wide, arcing motion, out to his side and slightly behind him, aiming to backhand the girl's sneaky fingers away from his torso and out to her side in one fell swoop. Simultaneously, he could feel her arm trying to wrap around his neck. Not good. With his left hand, the boy instantly raised his fingertips against the arm trying to snake its way around him. A sudden discharge of electricity would ripple through her arm and into her body. He had tampered the damage, not wishing to hope his opponent, but enough to cause the arm to remain spasming and loose as the sudden jolt of lightning release would knock her back one meter, unable to pin him in a hold.

With these two things done, freeing himself of her grasp and of her sticky fingers, Yoshi promptly released the supernatural walking in his feet, plummerting away from the girl and freefalling down the side of Hokage Rock, slipping through her fingers once again.

453/3643

165/250:

[4/5]

The sound of her approach was silent, except for her horrid miscalculation as to the noise that could be made by those insubstantial academy clones. Yoshihiro heard her approach just in time to work out a slippery escape once more. A burst of speed would swat away Ting’s hand from the bell, stopping only that maneuver but leaving her opponent open to the choke. Unfortunately for Ting, Yoshihiro was still not quite out of tricks. It was not even long enough for her hand to get a solid grip that she would feel a powerful buzzing shock course through her and send her flying back a meter, almost skidding off the side of the rock head of Minato once again. As she panted, her body tired from the constant use of chakra and the intensive efforts to retrieve the bell, she would smile at where she suspected the young man to be. Only he was not there. She was not going to be surprised by the same thing twice, so she began to look all around with concern, wondering where he had gone and hoping he would hear her words and not continue his evasion.

“Yoshihiro, I forfeit this bout. I cannot catch you. You’re the craftiest son of a bitch I’ve ever met.” Ting would drop her chakra usage when she was in a safe place in top of Minato Namikaze’s head once again. Only, she would then see a tremendous and spectacular sight. With immense force, a figure flew upwards passed Ting, and it seemed to be holding Yoshihiro in its arms. Only when they reached a spot far above the heads did Ting recognize Takao Kimura. A wonderful man, a savior to Ting, and a patriot of the great land of Konohagakure. Takao was never a negative visage for Ting, who quickly ascended to his position on the mountain to greet him. It had been a little while since she had seen him. Not out of choice, but he was a very busy man and she had so much catching up to do in order to prepare for all of the many things she had brewing.

“Mr. Kimura! How have you been over the last few weeks? Ting would smile as she spoke to him, which may have revealed to him that his work on that fateful night had been fruitful. The girl had been clean and dedicated to a direction without even so much as a stumble. It was not a commonality for one to break away from the shinobi lifestyle and then return without troubles.

“Apologies for the location we chose, Yoshihiro and I were looking to spar in an unconventional way. It would seem that choice has me hurting a bit. He won, fair and square. I can’t seem to keep up with him. He is incredibly evasive and I have such limited options.” Ting hoped her praise of her friends abilities and understanding of her own flaws might have sat well with Takao so that he could offer some of his wisdom as an experienced shinobi. At his level, it seemed nothing was beyond his reach and he had likely learned of and covered up his weaknesses a very long time ago. From what Ting has seen of his movements and his strength, Takao was a pillar of power.

---

561 | 3272

He could hear the girl's voice even as he disappeared, plummeting from the bottom of Minato's head to the ground. It felt good to have some small victory under his belt, even if their spar was more an exercise in footwork and spatial awareness than it was an outright test of strength. He had little doubt that if they fought in the Chuunin Exams, it would surely be one of the most wild of bouts. Still, he was currently falling at a rate of about, oh, 10 meters per second. It wasn't the end of the world though, he had already planned for this moment. All he had to do was channel his Futon through his lungs and exhale a steady stream of wind from his lips to make him horizontal as he fell, as well as to push his feet against the rock face so that he could reactivate his chakra walking and slide to a stop near the bottom. Unfortunately though, Yoshi never got the chance to do either of these things, instead being completely overtaken by a phantasmagorical force that grabbed him seamlessly and carried him back to the top of Hokage rock. The whole motion only comprised a few seconds before he was back on his feet, stunned. Boy, he must've been getting some good lung capacity to blow himself all the way back up to the top!

He saw Ting, who had walked up from the heads to the top of the cliff overlooking the valley. She looked tired, as much as he certainly was right now. The man who had been the boy's somewhat unwanted savior though was none other than the man whom he had painted only a few weeks ago. Takao Kimura's displeased face was an image that neither Yoshi, nor perhaps anyone alive truly wanted to see. In something as simple as picking the teen off in the middle of the air and carrying him upwards, the man demonstrated the incomprehensible difference in power and skill between the two. For a moment, as Ting spoke, the Genin wondered what kind of training the other man had taken to reach such heights.

Oh wait, she was trying to talk him up, he couldn't do that without paying her the same compliment! As Ting finished explaining why they were sparring on the various heads of Hokage Rock, Yoshi would step in by looking between her and the older man. "It was my idea, I-I wanted to find some place to get ready before the exams, it's my fault. Ting's really fast and even stronger, she's definitely gonna do good in the tournament if she can keep up with an outlier like me!" the boy said, hoping to build the other girl up in front of their mutual senpai. Yoshi clutched his fist, "We promised that if one of us gets knocked out of the exams, the other has to win it all! So we're pushing ourselves to the limit!" he declared, hands shifting to rest on his hips as he looked up at the taller shinobi.

Even with that small moment though, the Genin was rather aware of how they were both still going to be in trouble for their antics. It seemed that frolicking about the Hokage Rock might not have been the most 'legal' thing in the world, but it was such things that they strived to surpass as shinobi! Yoshi waited with his friend, anticipating some sort of punishment that they would be leveled with by the immeasurably more powerful man. "Though... uh, please don't pee on us with fire as a punishment" the teen said somewhat meekly despite his power-stance, he had remembered the last conversation he had had with Takao, even if the other man had been somewhat jesting with most of the answers he gave the boy.

654/4297

A very strawberry hue would wash over the pale face of Ting as she heard the compliments and comics begging not to be punished in a...rather peculiar manner. It had been some time since Ting had come out the loser in a competition or contest and felt such grace and sportsmanship out of her competitor. Her friend Yoshihiro seemed far more concerned about being punished for the antics upon Hokage Rock, but fortunately for the two of them it would seem Takao had no intention of any punishment. Not even a true scolding, Takao would warn the two to keep any training away from the area as some were more prone to be offended at such displays than others. That was when he would gaze off into the expanse of the village. Ting could not help but smile as she watched that proud man looking over the village he cared so much about. It would not last overly long, as he soon turned back to the two and began to address the more familiar of the two faces.

He reasoned with Ting that she ought to invest in some more mobility. She had one or two but nothing near enough to keep up with Yoshihiro, so it was certainly a clear weakness. Ting would listen carefully and with great admiration for Takao, knowing just what he himself was capable of from the crackdown of the debaucherous den all those weeks ago. She would be sure that when the time came for the exams, she wouldn’t be missing any of the things Takao recommended to her. The next thing he had to offer was a technique made famous by Sakura Haruno. Upsetting the terrain with a technique such as cherry blossom impact was a genius concept and with her love of brutal, crushing strikes, Ting was honestly ashamed in herself for not thinking of that sooner. As her mind wandered into the many different ways she could achieve these results, she would partially remain tuned in to what Takao advises the victor of this bout.

The words of wisdom shared with Yoshihiro were more concise, likely due to the fact that he had already shown great promise in rising above Ting in this confrontation. He didn’t quite need as much coaching as the young medic did. Not to mention that Ting and Takao were much more acquainted at this time. She would take a long look at her now good pal Yoshihiro as he took in the advise. The funniest part of the entire conversation came seemingly all at once. Ting, partially spaced out, would only catch a small bit of it. Just enough to give her the most dumbfounded expression when she looked back upon the men.

“Is...do you guys do that sort of...with your chakra natures...” She would scratch her head, feigning complete ignorance as she then met Takao’s eyes with a deadly seriousness. “It all makes sense. The dark burns across the Kimura training grounds. It is only because I possess the Suiton nature that I can use normal bathrooms. The Kimura must use the outdoors or they’d burn down the entire place in a blaze of urine!”

She would maintain the seriousness for only a brief moment before joining Takao’s boisterous laughter with her own, covering her eyes as tears rushed to them from the unfortunate amount of laughing she was doing at her own joke. The sight would be a sorry one if the other two didn’t find her comedy to their taste.

596 | 3868

Yoshi yelped as he felt the older man ruffle his black hair, "H-hey! Cut it out!" the very grown up and very manly Genin protested, swatting at Takao's arm even though he knew that the former Hokage could very much do whatever he pleased. In hindisght it might not have been the beeeest idea to go ahead and be playing up on the Hokage rock, but one couldn't get too overly bothered with the semantics when there was some intense training to be done! Thankfully, Takao seemed to possess a similar mindset when it came to preparing for the Chuunin Exams. He was all too happy to let the dynamic duo go off free this time around. Instead, the three seemed to take in a moment of looking out over the village that they all called home.

When the former Hokage wheeled back around to give the two some advice, the teen hadn't been sure what to expect. His words of wisdom to Ting were probably the most straightforwards between them both, and something that she likely already knew from the way in which the slippery snake that was Yoshi had managed to elude her until the end of their bout. For the boy's part, his advice was somewhat less elaborate. Find a plan B, eh? It certainly was an important idea, especially since he had been avoiding to use any offensive techniques that might otherwise harm his training partner. If that restriction was removed though, he'd certainly have a trove of doors to open up and use instead of relying on his mobility alone. Yoshi nodded at Takao, "Got it!" he simply said with a determined nod. Next time he fought, he'd get to go on the offense and show his opponent he could do far more than just dodge and evade!

The moment turned light thankfully, as Ting expanded upon the coy approval Takao had given Yoshi in a way that made her start to break down into a fit of laughter. An elemental affinity? Well, Ting was a medical jutsu expert, and if she was convinced of that then it just had to be true! Yoshi was proficient in wind, so how did his manifest? Perhaps it was a girl thing, he didn't know for sure. Despite this debate in his head Yoshi laughed loudly alongside Ting as they stood there on the cliff overlooking the village. With their conflict now over, and with peace somewhat restored by the arrival of their mutual sensei, the noontime sun would continue to move on over the three figures. They had all trained hard, and now all of that was going to soon be put to the test. The Chuunin Exams were almost here...

465/4762

[Thread Exit]

Total WC: 4762

Training Reductions Applied
Spar: 10%
S-Rank Teacher Present: 20%
Additional Student Present: 5%
Takao’s Scroll of Seals: 10%

• Training 'Falcon Punch': 1000/1000
  
• Training 'Air Palm': 750/750
  
• Training 'Wind Release: Pocket Storm': 750/750
  
• Training 'Wind Release: Slipstream': 750/750
  
• Total WC for training 3250 - 45% total discount = 1788 to Train
  
• Total WC Devoted to training Jutsu: 1788/1788
  

• Training Chakra Flow from C to B Rank: 2000/2000
  
• Total WC for training 2000 - 35% total discounts = 1300 to Train
  
• Total WC Devoted to training Chakra Flow 1300/1300
  

I have 1674 left over here but... uhhh... I don't really have anything to use it on since I need to rank up or get my clan approved since it'll reset my elements to C so thered be no point in dumping them. For now, I'll hold onto these tight.

Training Earth Into Air. (A-Rank || 2,000wc - 20% (genius) - 30% (a scroll of seals) = 1,000wc)
Training Fire Release: Cruelty Devouring Blaze (C-Rank || 1,000wc - 20% (genius) - 10% (kimura) = 700wc)

34wc discarded.

Available for all thread participants, the A Scroll of Seals in Takao's possession grants one of the following word count reductions for the entirety of the thread:

• 30% off One Technique
  
• 20% off Two Techniques
  
• 10% off All Techniques

Always there was an eye to a hurricane, a calm point within every storm. Sometimes one could even see the sun during such events, as if there were not a care in the world to be had. Worn down from the challenge of seeking the bells from Yoshihiro and still yet absorbing the advice given to her by Takao, Ting felt that her existence within this moment upon Hokage Rock was the eye of the storm that was the looming Chunin Exams. Many feet below them hustled and bustled the village she loved, preparing to host droves of guests from across the many lands. There was no real point in staring at the next part of the storm, working herself into a stupor would be bad for her health. Sharing a lovely bit of banter and laughter, Ting would smile at her associates before taking another look out upon Konohagakure. There was no place she would rather have the luxury of representing in such a way. That very well may have been what brewed her anxiety the most. She couldn’t even bear the idea of embarrassing her village in front of such an audience. The chatter and banter amongst the two genin and the former Hokage, Takao Kimura, arrived to a natural conclusion. Not awkward or out of place at all, Takao would announce that he had more errands to attend to and as one would expect, he would take his leave in the most thematic way possible. Effortlessly falling backwards from the cliffside.

“You really are something, Takao Kimura.” Ting would say to herself as she too began to dust herself off and consider in what way she would spend the rest of her evening. The grumble that seemed to accompany the line of thinking was almost a directive. Her favorite teriyaki dive was going to have to do it. She would turn and give Yoshihiro a peace sign accompanied by a wink.

“I had a good time hanging out and competing with you, Yoshihiro. I hope I see you again sometime soon!” The blue haired medic would continue walking as she spoke, pleased with the overall tone and conclusion of the day. Even having lost the challenge, Ting had gleamed a very important lesson in all of the antics of the day. Learning some valuable lessons in both practice and verbally from the man she had began to mentally acknowledge as a mentor. She felt stronger, and certainly more learned and directed in her path toward success in the exams.

Though she enjoyed the young man, she hoped that Yoshihiro would not end up being her first opponent in the exams. She wanted to see her ally and good friend make short work of the other villages before they had to have any sort of run in. Since becoming more dutiful toward her duties as a shinobi, Ting had only made the acquaintance of Takao, Xiang, and now Yoshihiro. This likely made her a bit of an outcast in regards to the right friend groups that might have existed after graduation from the academy. It was her own fault, though. One would never know how many of her so-called friends had been obliterated by Takao the night he reduced her from sin. She would shake the thought, feeling that there was no good to come of thinking on the life she had left behind. It was a life of trash, and deserved to remain behind as such.

Of one thing she was certain. Teriyaki chicken was not trash, and she was going to gorge upon it tonight.

[Exit Thread]

---

601 | 4469

Training Reductions Applied

• Spar: 10%
  
• S-Rank Teacher Present: 20%
  
• Additional Student Present: 5%
  
• Takao’s Scroll of Seals: 10%
  

Total Reduction: 45%

Jutsu Being Trained

• Yin Healing: Wound Termination (1000 + 150 Ryo)
  
• Wrapping Disrespectful Burial (1000 + 150 Ryo)
  
• Centrifugal Crush (1000 + 150 Ryo)
  
• Seven Heavens Breathing Method (1500+ 150 Ryo)
  
• Poreification (750+ 80 Ryo)
  
• Sunder Spire (750 + 80 Ryo)
  
• Kiai (750 + 80 Ryo)
  
• Yin Healing: Wound Erasure (750 + 80 Ryo)
  
• Aerodynamics (500 + 50 Ryo)
  

Total WC Needed: 8000 - 45% | 8000 - 3600 = 4400

69 WC discarded

Total Ryo Cost: 970